Free PDF Ebooks Files @AcrobatPlanet.Com

In December, 1988, I began research for this thesis, interested in studying the nature of Elizabethan nobility as presented in four of Shakespeare’s queens. As an experienced actress, I welcomed the opportunity to delve into such topics as Renaissance history and literature, performance practice, women’s issues of the era, and heroic archetypal character types in order to construct sound character analyses for these roles. My thought was to accompany my literary study with performances of monologues taken from each play, demonstrating how theory about performance practice can be translated into form.

Behind my keen interest to learn more about Shakespeare, I was fascinated by his portrayal of royal women who displayed dignity and strength in the face of challenging circumstances; the nature of nobility was the intriguing factor. My understanding of how to portray this one character trait on the stage seemed to me to be the critical factor to my work, one which would carry the part if I could hone it. Since two of my chosen queens, Hermione (The Winter’s Tale) and Cleopatra (Antony and Cleopatra) had similarities, both in character and story line, to that of goddess archetypes (Demeter and Isis), I began research into goddess archetypes to see if I could discover ways to bring alive the inherent royal strength and nobility found in the goddess, and carry it over into my acting. What I found was a gold mine.